MAKING THE BEST USE OF SPACE

When designing an urban farm, space is always a consideration. The question arises, what do I have room to grow or raise?Square footage is important, but the weightier question is, what do I have room to grow or raise sustainably? In other words, will it meet the following criteria?

Will it be good for the environment?

Will the return outweigh the financial cost?

Will the return outweigh the labor?

Finally, can it become part of a regenerative system?

A regenerative system is self-sustaining and gives back more than it takes. This is an important consideration, especially on small farms that have limited space. City dwellers can maximize limited urban space to grow and raise as much healthy food as possible, sustainably, using regenerative systems that improve our homes, our health and our communities. (Read more in Chapter Five of City Farming: A How-to Guide to Growing Crops and Raising Livestock in Urban Spaces.)

Does your container garden need a little TLC? Here is how to replant a container garden. There are two ways to freshen up your pots. The first is a total refresh. In this case, all of the plants have died or need to be removed. Remove mulch and set aside. […]

Urban Farm Design with Scott Murray Interview with Scott Murray at Edge of Urban Farm on Urban Farm Design We’re on our Edge of Urban Farm in Vista, California and it’s a 1.2 acre site that we’ve developed about three-quarters of an acre as a micro farm. And at times, […]

Interview with Jill of Sweet Life Garden & Orchard (Phoenix, AZ) 2015-07-15 Jill describes how they acquired the land, its features, and how they did easy soil building using a technique called lasagna gardening. She also tells the story of her orchard, dairy goats, and selling products to their neighbors. […]

Growing fodder is an economical way to feed animals Fodder is growing in popularity with urban farmers. Many people who raise urban livestock are motivated to cultivate meat, milk and eggs as naturally as possible. What the animals eat plays a big role in producing a vigorous flock and healthy […]

Are a carton of juice, a head of lettuce or a bouquet of flowers on your shopping list?Most folks will run to the grocery store for such items, but have you ever considered producing some of these everyday food staples at home?Some of your neighbors may be doing just that.From […]

Container Gardening in a Blast Furnace? Gardening in Phoenix, AZ, where my farm is located, certainly has its challenges. From our alkaline mineral soil, to lack of adequate space, and, of course, a shortage of water and abundance of heat; I could have entitled this article “Successful Container Gardening in […]

Densely populated cities have limited space for growing food at ground level, but acres upon acres of wide open space in some unusual places. That is why, instead of competing with developers for premium ground space, farming operations are moving up in the world –up to the rooftops. On a […]

Urban farms are often challenged to find space for all of the elements that the farmer wants to add. More can be done with an urban farm when it is designed carefully and when elements are combined. The elements of the farm are the plants, animals, structures and systems that […]

What is The Micro Farm Project? The Micro Farm Project is a beautiful place where veggies, flowers, fruit, and herbs grow and our small livestock animals provide us with fun and food. We are creating a tiny farm on our quarter-acre urban lot and are always experimenting with ways for […]

Many properties have fluctuations in terrain. Though we don’t often think of slopes as ideal areas to grow a vegetable garden, they can be very productive with proper plant placement. Water runs naturally from high to low areas via gravity, collecting at the lowest point. Therefore, when gardening on a […]